Bâmun deâru bînî sâkor nî khorâng.

The Brahmin and his Servant.

Sâse Bâmun dangman, ârù bî­bâ sâkor sâse dangman. Sân-se sâne zang Bâmun nî bîhau-bikhunzù-nî nåiau thâng-nù-lâgi thâlit gur gâkhir sorai lânanai sâkhor-khô bân hùnânai, bîkhô khithânaise “Nang be thâlit-fùr­khô dâ zâ. Zâbâ ânghâ khîthù fâtse bù megon dang.” Erùi hannânai thângùi thânaise. Phâre unau boi sâkhorhâ mikhâm ukhui-bâ, thâlit-khô lânânai, thaise thaise bînù un-phât-si khithînânai, be­baidînù boibo-khô-bù zâ-thro-lâng-naise. Phâre unau bîsur dâpseau zirai-hùiba, Bâmun bîbânkhô nueâkhâi, sâkhor-nî sigâng-au sùngnaise “Bibânâ mâ zâkhù?” Obâ sâkhorâ bung­naise, âng dùkhùi-nù nangnù khithînânai bî thâlit-fùrkhô zâbai. Ârù dâ nang mânù sùng-dang?” Bebaidînù Bâmunâ bolo20 hâe­khai srî srî thânaise. Phâre besùr beaunù khâm song-zâ-nù-lâgi zothon khâmnaise, ârù beaunù nâ khâwai mâ-ne-sù mandangman. Bînî sâkhornù mâse bùa hùnânai, gâsenù Bâmunâ lânaise. Phâre zeblâ khâm man-naise, sâne-bù zânù lâgi zodangman. Ereaunù sâkhorâ sùngnaise “Bâmun gohain, nâ khâwâiâ mâse bùâ daugâiù, nâ dùlù dùlù daugâiù?” Beaunù Bâmunâ bungnaise “Dùlù dùlù daugâiù.” Obâ bî bînî nâ mâsekhô bînî khâm-au khubui-hoṭ-detnaise “Manâthù be hâtsing daugânù hâiâ, nang-ni zang dùlùse zâthang.” Beaubù gaigai-nî khorâng-zâng-nù zennâ­nai bîkhô mungbâ bung-nù hâiâ khùise. Unau khâmkhô sâkhorâ hâtsing manzânaise.

There was once a Brahmin who had a servant. And one day when they were going to the house of the Brahmin’s mother-in-law, the Brahmin gave his servant a bunch of plantains and other things to carry, and said to him “Now, mind you don’t eat those plantains, for I can see just as well behind as I can in front.” And, so saying, he marched ahead. And presently the servant, getting hungry, plucked one of the plantains from the bunch, and, holding it out to his master’s back, ate it. And this he did again and again till all the plantains were gone. And when the Brahmin presently asked what had become of the load, the servant said “You told me you could see behind as well as in front. So I showed you each plantain before I ate it. And you never said anything.”

So the Brahmin went his ways speechless. Presently they stopped to cook their midday meal, and they had got with them a few khawai fish. But the Brahmin gave only one to his servant, and kept the rest himself. And when he was about to eat, the servant asked innocently: “Oh! Brahmin, do khawai fish swim about singly or in shoals?” To which the Brahmin said: “Why, in shoals, of course.” So the servant said “Then my fish had better go with yours.” And, so saying, he threw his fish on the Brahmin’s mess, which was defiled. So the Brahmin got no dinner, and the servant ate the whole.

Phâre bînifrai thângùi thângùi simli bîfâng dùlùse nunânai, Bâmun-khô sùngnaise “Bâmun gohain! be nunai bongfâng-frâ mâ bongfâng?” Bamunâ khi­thânaise “sirmolu.” Sâkhorâ bungnaise: “Sirmolu nunggâ. Bîkhô hirmolu hanù.” Phâ obâsù phong-bâ phong-bâ sônù lâgi khorâng khâlainaise. Phâre gur­khiâ dùlùse lùgù mannânai, bîsùrkhô sungbâ, “himulu” hannânai bîsùr bungnaise. Obânù sùngâ-hoâ-lâbâ Bâmunkhô phong-bâ sônaise.

A little later they came across a number of simul trees. Seeing them, the servant asked his master “And what do they call these trees, master?” And the Brahmin (being an educated man) said “These are sirmolu.” But the servant said “Not so, not so! These are himulu,” and offered to bet five blows that it was so. And, meeting some cowherd boys, he asked them what the trees were. And when they said “himulu” he gave the Brahmin five blows without further question.

Ârù bebaidi thângùi thângùi burmâ dùlùse nunânai sâkhorâ Bâmunkhô sùngnaise “Bâmùn gohain, boi gângsù zâbai thânai zanthu-fùr mâ bungô?” Bâmunâ khithânaise “Bîfur sâg.” Sâ­khorâ bungnaise “Nunggâ, bîfùr sâgoli.” Beaubù bîbaidinù Bâmunâ phongbâ sô-zâ-naise. Ârù bînîfrai thângnânai dau-bå dùlùse nunânai sùngnaise” “Bâmun gohain, befùr mâ dau?” Bâmunâ bungnaise “Nang bîfùrkhô mithiâ? Bîfurkhô bog hanù.” Bî bungnaise “Mâ bog hanù? Nunggâ. Bîkhô boguli hanù.” Beaubù bebaidinù Bâmunâ phongbâ sôzânaise. Unau bî manse slok hannaise:

Next they met a drove of goats. “And what may these be, Brahmin, these animals that are grazing?” And the Brahmin said “These be called châg.” But the servant cried “Not so, not so! These are châgali.” And the result, as before, was that the Brahmin was worsted and got five blows.

And next they came across a flock of paddy-birds, which the Brahmin called “Bog,” but the servant “Boguli.” And again he was worsted and got his five blows. On which he consoled himself by reciting an Assamese saying, to the effect that it is ill arguing with a fool:

“Sâg sirmolu bog ba-káran

Tinî pânch panra kîl sudâ akâran.”

“Sâg sirmolu bog ba-káran

Tinî pânch panra kîl sudâ akâran.”

Phâ bînîfrai thângnânai bihai-bikhunzù nî nå khâthî manbâ, sâkhorkhô thin-hoṭ-grù-nânai khithânaise “Nang thângnànai mâmâr khâm songnù thin; ma­nâthù ânghâ mikhâm ukhui-sù-dang.” Phâre bîbaidî-nù bî thângnânai, Bâmun-nî bikhunzù-nù hângsù bûthâtnânai sobai khâre zang mikhâm songnânai dinnù khithânaise, ârù bungnaise “Nangnî nangzâ-mâdùiâ megong-au gabâp nunggâbâ zâiâ.” Obâsù bî songnânai dinnaise. Phâre unau bizâmâdùiâ so-fai-bânù, mâmârùi khâm khutnânai hunaise. Bizâmâdùiâ ukhui-sù-nai-khai, khâm megong mungbo bâsiâlâbâ zânù gnâng zânaise.

And when they were now come near the Brahmin’s mother-in-law’s house, and the Brahmin was become very hungry, he sent his servant on ahead to beg them to get supper ready. So the servant went on ahead and bade the Brahmin’s mother-in-law cook a duck and put lots of plantain ashes, which the Kacháris use for salt, well knowing that his master disliked its acrid taste. So the duck was cooked with plenty of alkali.

And when the Brahmin arrived, his meal was set before him, and he was so hungry that he had to eat it whether he liked its savour or no.

Obâsù unau bebaidînù baidî baidî lâzi mannai zânaikhai, Bâmunâ bidânùlâgi sitti gângse lit-nânai sakhornî âkhâi-au hù­nânai nå-i-au hoṭnaise. Lâmâ såse thângbâ, beaunù litnù-grang sâse mânsùi lùgù mannânai, bînù sitti khithînaise. “Beau mâ litdang, âng-nù khithâ.” Obâsù, mânsùiâ sitti-khô nainânai, “Nangkhô dânnù lâgi Bâmun nî bidâ-khô thindang” erui bungbâ, bî sittî-khô phisînânai bungnaise “Afâ nang ângnù gubun sitti gângse litnânai hù.” Ârù be sitti-au erehai lit: “âdâ, nangnî fisâ-hingzau zang be sâkhorâ man-hùi-bâ-nù hâbâ khâmnânai hù. Âng benifrai thângnânai bîsùr-nî hâbâ nunù nânggâ.” Bebaidinù be sitti-khô lângnânai Bâmun-nî bidânù hùnaise. Khintù bî sitti-khô nunânai, monau dukhu man­sù-naise. Theobù, bigùi-nî khorâng gârnù hâekhai, fisâzù zang mâmâr hâbâ khâmnânai hùnângnaise.

And so in various ways the Brahmin was put to shame by his servant. So he wrote a long letter to his brother, and, putting it in his servant’s hand, bade him deliver it. But he went a little way, until he met a man who could read and write, and he bade him tell him what was written in the letter. And the man read him the letter, which was to the effect that the brother was to kill the servant. On this, the servant tore up the letter and bade his friend write another one, saying “Dear brother, on receipt of this letter marry my servant to my niece without delay. I shall not be able to come to the wedding.”

Taking this letter, the servant went to his master’s brother, who was much vexed, but dared not disobey. Accordingly, though reluctantly, he married the servant to his daughter.

Phâre sânse thânânai bî fainâ­nai bidâ khô sùngbâ gâsenù khorâng khnânânai, bî sâkhor khô dânnùlâgi srî srî upai khâmnaise. Be upaikhô sakhornî hingzauâ mithînânai, bekhô onnânai bînù khithânaise. Khithâbâ, hingzau zang hoṛau udunîau mosôfisâ mâse khâ-khrop-nânai futhunânai din­naise. Phâre Bâmunâ fisâzù zang udubai thâdang mon khâmnânai, srî srî thângnânai mosôfisâ-khô dânnaise. Phâre sân-sô-bâ mosâ­fisâkhô dânfnâng-nai nunânai mâ­mârùi bizâmadui sâkhorkhô gâr­hùinù lâgi thinnaise. Khintu bizâ­mâduiâ bîsùrnî bâriâu lângnânai, lânzâi dîhonnânai, fopnânai din­naise. Unau Bâmunâ mosâ bùthâtnai-nî nungge srî srî uddhâr zânu lâgi gaminî mânsùifùrkhô lingnânai phozù hùdangman. Phâre mânsuifùr zânu zobâ, sâkhorâ bâriau thângnânai mosô lânzai-khô bunânai bungnaise “Bamunâ mosobù bùthârâ-khùi phozù-bù hùâ khùi, hùi-sù!” Bebaidî bungbai-thâbâ, phozùnî mansùifrâ khnânânai, phozù zâiâ­khùise. Bebaidînù bîsùr uddhâr manâkhùise. Zapbâi!

And, when the master came to see if his servant had been disposed of, and heard what had happened, he set about to kill him. But his niece got to know of the matter and told her husband, who got a calf, and, binding it hand and foot, put it by her in her bed. And in the night the Brahmin came, and thinking the calf was his niece’s husband sleeping by her side, killed it. And when he found out his mistake in the morning, and learned that he was guilty of cow-killing, he bade his niece’s husband go and bury the calf in all haste. And the servant dragged the calf into the garden and buried it with its tail sticking out of the ground. Meanwhile, the Brahmin set to work to get himself purged of the offence of cow-killing, and summoned the villagers to a feast without telling them why. And when they were all seated, the servant ran out into the garden and hauling at the calf’s tail, called out “The Brahmin didn’t kill a cow, Oh, no! and